Three Commemorations will take place: the National level Commemorations in Harare, at the Harare City Sports Centre, on 5 December 2008; and decentralized commemorations will be held in Rusape (coordinated by FACT Rusape) and Zvishavane (Coordinated by Midland Caring Organization).

The commemorations will include honouring volunteer involving and placing organizations through the delivery of certificates. These organizations will be challenged to honour their volunteers through a similar process at organizational level. The key note speech will be given by The Minister of Public Service Labour and Social Welfare and will thank all volunteers on their role and contributions to Zimbabwe development and working towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The Minister will also launch 6 Volunteer of the Year Awards for 2009 in the following categories: Youth Volunteer of the Year Award, Peace and Reconciliation Volunteer of the Year Award, Individual Volunteer of the Year Award (Community & Professional), International Volunteer of the Year Award, Corporate Volunteer Programme of the Year Award, Academic Institution Volunteer Programme of the Year Award, Volunteer Involving Organization (VIO) of the year Award, and the Media Volunteer of the Year Award.

Participating organizations will exhibit or showcase their work with local and international volunteers. Celebrities such as local Sungura music star Leonard Karikoga Zhakata, and The Zimbabwe all stars will volunteer their time entertaining and motivating volunteers. Zhakata as a musician has also committed himself to be an ambassador to promote local volunteering for development. The Studio 263 Crew (a local Soap Opera), together with various celebrities, will grace the occasion to thank volunteers and motivate them. The involvement of volunteers has been at all levels of IVD planning, and on the occasion they will also showcase their work through drama, poems, songs and dances among other forms of edutainment.

Local organizations such as the National AIDS Council (NAC) and Zimbabwe AIDS Network (ZAN) have supported advocacy work around having a volunteer policy for Zimbabwe and a draft position paper is in place. Parliamentarians have been sensitized and a motion has been moved in parliament to put in place a volunteer policy for Zimbabwe. This will ensure a good working environment for all levels of volunteers through recognizing their rights. NAC and ZAN structures have been used to organize the decentralized commemorations working closely with the provincial volunteering core-groups coordinated by the Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) and the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme. Collective IEC materials (banners, T Shirts, posters and Flyers) have been produced and key messages designed by volunteering core-group members.

The commemorations will also be covered by Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings (ZBH).